We’ve seen all sorts of obscure supercars with General Motors LS V8 engines over the years, but the new Giocattolo Marcella takes things to a new level – combining two 7.0L LS7 V8 engines together to create a massive 14L W16 engine good for roughly 1,400 horsepower.
Many North American readers probably haven’t heard of Giocattolo, but our friends down in Australia and New Zealand may be familiar with this rather infamous manufacturer. Giocattolo was founded in the mid-1980s by Australian entrepreneur Paul Halstead. According to CarAdvice.com.au, Halstead made a fortune in the computer business in the 1980s before he “blew it” developing the Giocattolo Group B – a modified Alfa Romeo Sprint with bespoke suspension and a mid-mounted V8 engine. Just fifteen Giacattolo Group B cars were constructed before the company went belly up, forcing Halstead to sell his family home to avoid going bankrupt.
Halstead told his then-wife Marcella that he would bounce back from the hardship and one day have enough money to produce a new supercar that he’d name after her. Halstead went on to found a major recruitment firm and now, at age 74, is ready to once again re-enter the difficult world of low-volume supercar manufacturing with this wild roofless two-seater that he refers to as a “Hyperod.” The heart of the Giocattolo Marcella is the 14L W16 powerplant, which was made by sticking two LS7 V8s 250mm apart at a 45-degree angle. While this arrangement may seem a bit absurd (especially given the fact that it displaces a ridiculous 14L) this arrangement allows the Marcella to easily produce 1,400 horsepower with full emissions compliance.
Making all this possible is a custom billet alloy bridge that runs between the two engines, which was designed engineered by Albins, along with a custom Albins transfer case and six-speed sequential gearbox. The suspension was designed and engineered by ex-McLaren engineer Barry Lock.
Halstead calls the LS7 powered Marcella a “Hyperod” due to its exterior styling, which takes inspiration from classic American cars as well as modern supercars and hypercars. The rear end, for example, features two dramatic tailfins that were inspired by a 1959 Cadillac.
Halstead hopes to show the finished Giacattolo Marcella at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in July 2022. Until then, he’ll be busy trying to make this ambitious idea for a custom supercar a reality.
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Comments
This looks, smells, and feels like a vaporcar.
A better starting point would be to buy a HPE1200 1,200 horsepower twin-turbo 6.2L V8 from Hennessey Performance Engineering then use rapid prototyping equipment to design and build a supercar around the HPE1200.
W16 “HPE2400”
Not that any of these cars would ever actually accumulate enough miles to need a service, but I pity the person who has to do a regular tune up on that configuration.
Other than that good luck to him, the more fun cars the better, still have hopes they depreciate enough to be in my price range some day.
Terrible design.
Fins? Seriously?
The new Lamborghini Sian hypercar has fins also. I guess you are not a car guy, haha, no real taste.
Difficult to drive with no visibility of the road ahead.
But, as the saying goes, (in German) “Papier ist geduldig” or “paper has patience” and even more digital imaging.
The same applies to the “future Cadillac supercar” from the imagination of GM engineers.
Dreams, dreams, dreams…
What a pointless and undesirable car…looks like a Chinese rip off of a bat mobile…call it the wuhan mobile
You people smell.
This man built the Giocattolo.
Do your homework.
He deserves respect.
Great idea on the engine package. Leaves the idea to replace one with electric and be able to run both or switch as wanted for a great Hybrid. As for a tune up from above comment. It’s a Chevy. Spark Plugs, oil change, and air filter that’s all they need.
All motor and using existing proven technology, awesome!
Thanks for this glorious article. One other thing is that a lot of digital cameras come equipped with any zoom lens so that more or less of your scene for being included through ‘zooming’ in and out. These changes in focusing length will be reflected within the viewfinder and on significant display screen right on the back of the exact camera.
Makes mega horsepower with no turbos, just engine! Lots of engine and displacement! This means long durability!
Durability of the engine is of no importance at all for such a “supercar”.
You won’t drive to work and back each day with such a monster (besides that you won’t be able to see the road ahead from the driver’s seat).
A supercar is for posing, for (questionble) prestige, and drawings like the ones shown above are not for production, but for raising attention for the one who commissioned the drawings.
Of the real world supercars I remember the interview with the CEO of Lamborghini telling the interviewer that their customers driver their “Lambo” on the average for 5000 km/year, corresponding at 3’107 miles per year.
In conclusion, the engine displacement just as the entire car is only for the whow! effect, not for real world use.